


Marriage Prospects

by FireOpal (Sandel)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Community: HPFT, M/M, Vignette, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 12:22:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7532593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandel/pseuds/FireOpal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div class="center">
  <p>It's the summer between Draco's sixth and seventh year, and the subject on the agenda in the Malfoy household is marriage prospects. </p>
  <p>---</p>
  <p>Written for ImaRavenclaw's <span class="u">Angsty Boys Like Angsty Boys challenge</span>, MegGonagall's <span class="u">Summer Holidays Challenge</span> and WriteYourHeartOut's <span class="u">Cathartic Challenge</span> over at hpfanfictalk.com.</p>
</div>
            </blockquote>





	Marriage Prospects

**Author's Note:**

>   
>   
>  Banner by katharos at The Dark Arts forums.

It's the summer between Draco's sixth and seventh year, and the subject on the agenda in the Malfoy household is marriage prospects. Crouches, Fawcetts, Patils, Parkinsons, Greengrasses, and Shafiqs at about Draco's age are brought up and dismissed, one after the other, only to be brought up again a few days later.

"Ismene Crouch would make a very good alliance," Draco's father points out, for the fourth or fifth time this summer.

"Enough about her!" his mother replies between pursed lips. "We're not in the business of saving plain girls from becoming old maids, Lucius!"

Draco rubs his palms against his face.

"How about Longbottom?" he suggests, against his better judgement.

His parents turn towards him as one.

"You've got your eyes on the Longbottom girl?" his father asks. "What's her name...?"

"Melinda," Narcissa supplies, her lips still a thin line.

"I've not heard much about her," Lucius goes on. "Her brother's a disgrace, of course, but..."

Draco feels his jaw tighten, and forces it to relax. He sticks his hand in his robe pocket, rubs his thumb over the letter he’s keeping there.

"She's still very young," Narcissa says, "but you know we're behind you whoever you choose, Draco."

Draco disguises his snort as a sigh, and leans back in his chair.

"It was just a joke," he says. "I'm not in love with the Longbottom girl."

Lucius' squints.

"But _are_ you in love, Draco? There's something you're not telling us."

Draco meets his father’s grey eyes with his own; steel against steel.

"No."

"It's not that Granger girl you're always on about, is it?" Narcissa says, a small waver in her voice betraying her distaste.

"The Mudblood!?" Draco blurts out, unthinkingly.

Again both his parents turn to look at him, this time with accusation in their eyes.

"We don't use that word anymore, you know that, Draco," his mother says.

Draco feels his cheeks heat up, though it’s not his parents’ censure that burns.

"Sorry," he says, and he means it. "But no, I'm not in love with Granger either."

His slur slip-up means his parents are mercifully inclined to believe him, and soon they're back to discussing the respective merits of Felicia Fawcett and Sanaz Shafiq. Draco endures this for another minute or two, then he rises from his chair.

"I'm going to bed," he announces.

"Maybe that's for the best," Narcissa agrees, rising as well. "We're not getting anywhere."

"There's no hurry anyway," Lucius says, as he always does. And yet he brings the subject up anew every evening.

* * *

Up in his room, with his door carefully closed and locked behind him, Draco takes out the letter he's been carrying around in his pocket since this morning. The parchment has gotten a bit crumpled, but it’s still clearly readable.

_Dearest Draco,_

_We're still at my Gran's, and she's still going on about my 'dismal OWLs'. Apparently Os in Charms and Herbology don't count (or that E in Potions that I got thanks to you!). I guess I should be thankful that she’s not trying to have me married off before I've even left Hogwarts... Speaking of, have your parents settled on a lucky girl, yet?_

_Sorry, I know it’s not funny, it’s just that joking about it helps me feel less jealous. And I'm sure my family too expect me to settle down with a nice Abbott or Weasley as soon as possible. They still ask about Hermione every now and then, even though they know it's been almost a year since we broke up. But they seem to have stopped since I told them she's with Ron now (I'm still not sure how THAT happened!)._

_I told them about Ernie and Justin getting together too, by the way, and neither of them even batted an eye. I still think they'd be happy to let you visit if they knew about us. But I know, I know, I promised not to tell anyone, don’t worry. Melinda has figured out that SOMETHING is up, though, but for some reason she's gotten it into her head that I'm secretly dating Luna Lovegood...!? I haven't the foggiest where she's gotten that from, but if she wants to believe that, sure._

_It's only seven weeks until we see each other again, now._

_I love you,_  
_Neville_

Draco lifts the letter to his face. He only really smells parchment, but he imagines that he can detect a faint whiff of that mix of warm earth, roasted hazelnuts and fresh linen that means _Neville_ ; his Gryffindor golden boy, his lover against logic, not a disgrace at all.

He sits down to write his reply.

Only seven more weeks.


End file.
